DFW05CA097

Factual narrative

On April 2, 2005, about 1130 central standard time, a Cessna 152 single-engine airplane, N5086Q, owned and operated by Spartan Aviation Industries, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was substantially damaged following a hard landing and subsequent nose gear collapse while landing on runway 17 at the Shawnee Regional Airport (SNL), near Shawnee, Oklahoma. The student pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed for the solo instructional flight, which was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The cross-country flight originated at the Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport (RVS), near Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 0800, made an intermediate stop at the Ada Municipal Airport (ADH), near Ada, Oklahoma, and then proceeded to SNL, which was its final destination. In a written statement, the 99-hour student pilot, who had logged 2.4 hours of solo time, reported that while on final approach to runway 17, his airspeed was 61 knots. He planned on making a normal landing, and when he reached the runway threshold, he "pulled the throttle to idle and flared," but the airplane "hit the ground heavily and jumped back up." The pilot then "lowered the airplane nose and flared again." When the airplane touched down, the student pilot noticed that he was left of the centerline, so he applied right rudder. "Suddenly, the nose gear broke, and the airplane nose fell on the ground." The propeller struck the ground and stopped, and the airplane came to a stop. The student pilot added that he performed the proper shutdown procedures and exited the airplane, uninjured. The operator evaluated the damage and submitted photographic documentation of the damage. Photos of the damaged areas confirmed structural damage to the the engine firewall. Additionally, the nose landing gear, propeller blades, and engine cowling were also damaged. At 1135, the automated weather observing system at SNL reported wind from 200 degrees at 8 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, sky clear, temperature 66 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 36 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.17 inches of Mercury. The 99-hour student pilot, who had logged 2.4 hours of solo time, reported that on final approach to runway 17, his airspeed was 61 knots. He planned on making a normal landing, and when he reached the runway, he "pulled the throttle to idle and flared," but the airplane "hit the ground heavily and jumped back up." The pilot then "lowered the airplane nose and flared again." When the airplane touched down, the student pilot noticed that he was left of the centerline, so he applied right rudder. "Suddenly, the nose gear broke, and the airplane nose fell on the ground." The propeller then hit the ground and stopped, and the airplane came to a stop. The student pilot performed the proper shutdown procedures and exited the airplane, uninjured. Reported winds at the time of the landing on runway 17 were from 200 degrees at 8 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12